“Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Lisa Wu Hartwell recently opened up about her custody battle with ex-husband Keith Sweat.
In an interview with Star Magazine, Lisa said she really wants her two older boys (She appears on the show with husband, Ed Hartwell, and their 2-year-old E.J.) on the show.
“If Keith has a hang-up about our sons being on TV, I would be fine with that. But Real Housewives is supposed to be a reality series, and the reality is that all the fans watching believe I only have one child,” Lisa told Star.
Sweat, an R&B crooner known for ballads that are seemingly centered around begging, refuses to sign an agreement that would allow his sons – Justin and Jordan — to be on the reality show, now in its second season on Bravo.
Lisa said she could take care of that – by suing Sweat for full-time custody.
“I’ve already been seeing [the children] four or five times a week, but now the time has come when I want to have them with me full-time,” she told Star.
Sweat was awarded custody of the boys in 2003, with the judge, Cynthia D. Wright, saying that the children “lacked structure in their lives, due in substantial part to Mother’s numerous business ventures and frequent trips out of town… Mother has a history of spending money on herself excessively rather than providing for the children… There was some evidence at trial that Mother implicitly participated in robbing Father in the presence of the children.”
The judge said the issues raised questions about Mother’s “maturity.”
In other words, the judge said “Something, Something, just ain’t’ right.”
Wu said she filed an appeal after the verdict, but was intimidated about the process. “I’ve been afraid of the judicial system, but I’m finally taking the bull by the horns and trying to get my boys back again!” she said.
But is this just about the show? Lisa seems insistent that all her children (actually her whole clan was on a recent episode filmed in California) be on the show.
Is this the beginning of a spin-off? Does she envision “The Wu Hartwell Show”?
Lisa said it’s not like that, but she’s just so certain that her boys would make for good television. “Jordan and Justin understand what the show involves, and they’d love to do it,” Lisa said. “I adore all three of my sons — and I believe they all have a rightful place on the show.”
In October, Lisa will have the custody hearing in Atlanta.
You can bet Sweat will be there. Beggin’.
I wonder how Ed feels about Lisa wanting her other two children.
who cares how he feels…she birthed the kids he did not…he has no say.
Hartwell’s children “lacked structure in their lives, due in substantial part to Mother’s numerous business ventures and frequent trips out of town…”
While I am in no position to speak to Judge Wright’s other claims, I do find it troubling that a woman is being upbraided by a judge for attempting to pursue a career. Assuming this Judge Wright has children of her own, what structure is/was she able to provide to her children given the often overwhelming caseloads that many judges must contend with? How much time did she spend away from her own children preparing for court and attending to cases? And did this result in a problematic “lack of structure” for her children? Black women simply cannot win. Sit at home and you’re either a loafing welfare queen who’s a piss poor example to her children, or a lazy gold digger interested only in lunching and dispensing with your husband’s money. God forbid that you have ambition and cultivate a career, because then you’re selfish and and demonized for not dedicating a sufficient amount of attention to your children. I find it hard to believe that a man in Hartwell’s positon would be chastised for these same supposed work/family life imbalances.
Sorry Lish, he has the right to have a problem with it. Hopefully it will work out for everyone.
I wouldn’t let my kids appear on a reality show either. What does it accomplish? But to each her own.
A judge is not going to take kids away from a mother unless there is a good enough reason. And the fact that she is focused on the kids because of her image on a reality show and NOT because she feels her kids are not being taken care of is backs up what the judge says and is proof enough that they need to stay with the dad.
Reading this article, I have to agree with Clnmike. Although it may not have been Mrs. Hartwell’s intention (trying to give her the benefit of the doubt here..work with me LOL) it does seem that she only wants her boys back for the “reality show”. No where in the article does it states that she can provide better care for her children than Mr. Sweat. Again, I agree with Clnmike; no judge will take a child (or children) away from a mother unless there was evidence stating otherwise. The judicial system will beat a brother down by a manipulative baby mother without much proof (in a lot of cases…just ask 50 cent’s baby mother…and countless others that are doing right).
I heard nothing of wanting to have her kids back to have her family all together. the show the show is pretty much what I read. Lisa you have to do better, this show will come and go. Good Luck with that … uhmmmm
[...] We all knew about it.. Now Real Housewives of Atlanta’s Lisa Wu Hartwell finally speaks out about her two kids by Keith Sweat and her plans to win back custody. [Clutch] [...]
I am a bit disgusted by “mommy” Lisa. She lost custody in 2003! and NOW she wants her kids 2009! This sounds very selfish to me. She shouldn’t use her kids to further her dreams and ambition. It is very hard for a mother to loose her kids. This woman values money and fame.
@Anon. You are absolutely right! When a woman/wife wants to create wealth and has something more to bring to the family’s financial table, she now lacks structure? Hilarious. So much for the Women’s Movement and Sista’s doing it for themselves :(
The ruling came from a woman and it was concerning the WELFARE OF THE KIDS not the Welfare of the “Women’s Movement and Sista’s doing it for themselves”.
I find it odd that none of these so called black strong sistas that are bashing Kieth Sweat and the judicial system have looked at this woman and her real intentions. We have to look at the obvious here, Ed “Frankenstein” Hartwell as he is passionately known in the sports arena is jobless, a wanna be real estate developer in a dead market and husband to a attention starved wife. I agree with the brother above me that stated that no judge will side on the male’s behalf unless some serious issues are at hand. I am a long time fan of Kieth Sweat and I know that this brother is educated, business savvy, and has money. I know that she will not get those kids because she does not provide the stability that Kieth Sweat gives them, she just wants that child support check at this point!
PEACE Man bashers
she makes it sound as though her sons are a business opportunity, it seems given the situation that maybe the judge knew what she was doing and saying when she took lisa’s sons. I agree with everyone else a judge almost always would prefer the children are with the mother so there must have been something going on for her to lose her them.
@Danny and CInmike
The two of you missed the thrust of my argument. I cannot and did not speak to the legitimacy or appropriateness of the judge’s decision to give custody of the children to Keith Sweat. That is precisely why I prefaced by saying that I could not speak to many of Judge Wright’s claims. Neither I nor the two of you are privy to the type of information that would permit us to make a thorough, fully informed evaluation of Mrs. Hartwell’s fitness as a parent. There may have been other factors that were not disclosed in the article that factored into Wright’s decision. For all I or anyone else is concerned, Wright may very well have made the correct call. My interest was in neither re-litigating the judge’s decision based on speculation and hearsay from news articles, nor, in the case of Danny, offering commentary on the status of Ed Hartwell’s professional prospects.
Judge Wright’s comments about Hartwell’s professional endeavors struck me because they seemed to underscore both the mixed messages that black women receive related to work/family life issues, as well as the incongruous standards on which men and women are judged as effective parents in our culture–women are relegated to the role of caregiver and nurturer, men are providers and breadwinners ( I acknowledge that I’m being a bit reductionist for argument’s sake). That children need to be both provided and cared for is without question. I just believe that rethinking these very circumscribed gender roles is in the best of interest of children and their parents.
And Danny, you proved my point about the sort of messaging to which black women are frequently subjected. In lieu of articulating a cogent argument, you resort to tired tropes about black women as “man haters” and gold diggers (Hartwell is only after a child support check?).
@Anon
You and I read the same article and you were confident enough based on the information provided to comment the way you did. But basing it off the small amount of info it doesnt take a rocket scientist to see that the mother does not have her children on top of her list of priorities at least at the time of the original judgement.
I do not see where the judge was taking the mother to task for pursuing a career. What I read was a judge concerned that the mother’s career came before the kids.
“lacked structure in their lives, due in substantial part to Mother’s numerous business ventures and frequent trips out of town… Mother has a history of spending money on herself excessively rather than providing for the children… There was some evidence at trial that Mother implicitly participated in robbing Father in the presence of the children.”
That right there is a VERY KIND way of saying the children are being neglected in favor of the dollar.
How you look at the quote and dechiper that the judge, (a woman who graduated law school and is now a judge) was some how holding the mother’s career pursuits against her because she is a woman is beyond me.
Again I stand by what I said that a judge will not take the children away from a mother unless there is substantial proof that they are better off with the father than her.
Lisa looks sneaky, and I bet she was spending on self and not the kids. Sweat deserves to keep them!!!!
I totally agree with Clnmike… I read the same article as him and he makes a lot of sense…
Oh and another thing anon mentioned “Black women simply cannot win.” Im BLACK! Lisa Wu Hartwell is NOT BLACK she is asian please dnt ever use that to defend her again. Only one of her parents are black and its sure not her father… (i know the article is not about that but it upset me when anon used that)
I think Lisa is in this for the money. Just as her commentary states, “If it doesn’t make me money, I don’t do it”. Its been 6 years and all of a sudden you want your children. Why wait so long to say I’m ready. She’s only in it for the child support payments. If that wasn’t the case she should see about getting her children back without the child support. Keith has taken care of her since 1993 up until their divorce. She spends excessive amounts of money and on top off it stole money upon the divorce. If she knew like I knew she should have been investing and she wouldn’t need [Keith] money to fall back on in her times of needs. She’s trying to do to much to fast.
Regardless of who fathered your children, rich or poor; A woman is guaranteed her child and a man will be there if he wants to be. In this case Keith wanted his children because he can support them better than Lisa can. He has his mother; whereas Lisa will try to hire a nanny or stop what she’s doing “if” she gets the children and live off what she is requesting from Keith.
Its a shame how women think just because they have children by a man that he owes her something. Get your own. If he’s willing to help then he will.